Nile Gardiner is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst and political commentator. A former aide to Margaret Thatcher, Gardiner has served as a foreign policy adviser to two US presidential campaigns. He appears frequently on American and British television, including Fox News Channel, BBC, and Fox Business Network.

Spain needs to back off over Gibraltar

The Foreign Office has been swift to condemn recent Spanish naval incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. And rightly so. Gibraltar, like the Falklands, is a British Overseas Territory, with full internal self-government through an elected House of Assembly. Its 29,000 inhabitants, who overwhelmingly are British citizens, have no wish to be part of Spain, as they emphatically demonstrated in a referendum held in 2002. Britain’s relationship with Gibraltar dates back more than 300 years, and The Rock’s continuing success and prosperity is testament to its strong sense of sovereignty and self-determination.

The UK has repeatedly made diplomatic protests to Spain over attempts by Spanish state authorities to exercise jurisdiction in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. Yet on 13 November there were two further serious incursions. A large Spanish naval ship conducted a prominent patrol through British Gibraltar Territorial Waters lasting several hours. Later on the same day a Spanish customs vessel sought to apprehend a Gibraltarian civilian boat in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, forcing the Royal Gibraltar Police to intervene in order to safeguard the welfare of the four occupants.

“I condemn these provocative incursions and urge the Spanish government to ensure that they are not repeated. We believe that it is in the interests of Spain, as well as Gibraltar and Britain, to avoid any incident that may damage the prospects of developing a harmonious and collaborative relationship between Gibraltar and Spain. It is also in all parties’ interests to avoid incidents which could put at risk the safety of those operating in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. We remain confident of UK sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters and fully committed to protecting the interests of the people of Gibraltar and their wish to remain under British sovereignty.”

Spain is an important European partner of Great Britain, a significant NATO ally that contributes troops to the mission in Afghanistan, and had sent forces to Iraq. But its aggression over Gibraltar cannot be tolerated, especially when they involve the blatant intimidation of British citizens. Spain’s actions are unacceptable, and are little more than a sad attempt to bully the inhabitants of Gibraltar, who are proud of their relationship with Britain, and wish to remain a British Overseas Territory.

In addition to Foreign Office pressure, London should make it clear that it is prepared to defend Gibraltar’s sovereignty in the event that Spain decides to act in a hostile manner. Britain could send a clear signal by sending a destroyer or frigate to temporarily patrol the waters off Gibraltar, and by having a British regiment conduct training exercises on The Rock. This would make Spain think twice before embarking on any more “incursions”.

Ultimately, a bigger Royal Navy presence as a purely defensive measure should be enough to ensure that Spanish provocation does not go any further. Spain’s increasingly aggressive stance over Gibraltar may be no more than sabre-rattling by a struggling government that is reeling from economic woes back home. But Britain should and must be prepared to defend Gibraltar’s sovereignty if it is threatened. The conservative government in Spain, which includes among its ranks several advisers with strong ties to the UK, surely has no interest in picking a fight with Britain. It is time for Madrid to back off over Gibraltar, and concentrate instead on restoring confidence in the Spanish economy.

It is worth reminding the Spanish government that the Gibraltar issue is, above all, a matter of self-determination, just as it is for the Falkland Islanders vis-a-vis Argentina. Margaret Thatcher put it well when she was asked about the future of Gibraltar at a press conference at the United Nations in June 1982, with a message that rings just as true 30 years later:

As you know, we have consistently said that the wishes of the inhabitants of Gibraltar are paramount and those would be our first consideration. That after all, and I cannot stress it too often, is what democracy is all about—not imposing something upon the peoples of a territory but consulting them about their wishes.